(Jodi Picoult and I, Washington, D.C., 2014)
I reached out to Jodi Picoult, my favorite author, for some advice for aspiring writers. Unfortunately, she said she was unable to answer my questions due to her schedule. She did invite me to look at her website as many of my questions may be answered there. So that’s what I did!
CK: How do you come up with ideas for your novels?
JP: Usually, a what-if question. Often, an idea sticks before I know what I’m going to do with it. Sometimes ideas change in the middle. Sometimes the amount of research vs. rough-drafting varies, but it generally takes three-quarters of a year for my head to gel ideas into a cohesive story.
CK: How do you handle writers block?
JP: I write quickly, but I also do not believe in writer’s block, because once I didn’t have the luxury of believing it. When you only have twenty minutes, you write – whether it’s garbage, or it’s good… you just DO it, and you fix it later.
CK: What advice would you give college women pursuing writing and the arts?
JP: DO IT. Many people have a novel inside them, but most don’t bother to get it out. Writing is grunt work – you need to have self-motivation, perseverance, and faith… talent is the smallest part of it. When you finally start to write something, do not let yourself stop…even when you are convinced it’s the worst garbage ever. This is the biggest caveat for beginning writers. Instead, force yourself to finish what you began, and THEN go back and edit it. If you keep scrapping your beginnings, however, you’ll never know if you can reach an end.
CK: Are there any resources you would recommend for women trying to get work published or recognized?
JP: I suggest the Literary Marketplace, or another library reference material. Keep sending out your work and don’t get discouraged when it comes back from an agent – just send it out to a different one. Attend signings/lectures by authors, and in your free time, read read read. All of this will make you a better writer.
CK: How much research goes into each of your books?
JP: When I start researching, I read everything I can about a topic. Then I meet with an “expert”. I spent time in Botswana with elephant researchers, at an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee… I trekked to the Alaskan tundra to visit a remote Eskimo village and to follow a dogsled race on a snowmobile… I spent time with a man who lived in the wild with a wolf pack for a year – and got to meet some other wolves he has in captivity… I spoke with the real-life head of the department of justice division that tracks down Nazi war criminals.
More about Jodi Picoult can be found on her FAQ!
Disclaimer: these answers are not Jodi’s exact responses to the questions and may not reflect the most accurate answer. They are directly off of her FAQ page and relate to similar quesitons.